TJ's A are well on course to take the 2015/16 Premier Division title dropping only 2pts so far. With 14pts in the bag only Whitecross (12pts) and Sheepbridge (10pts) can realistically catch them. McGuigan's A are also on 10pts but with a game extra played they are out of the running.It's not too often you get to this stage of the season and a player has a perfect record. Manny Byrne must have had sleepless nights waiting on this blog but the wait is over.This time last year we were saying Manny Byrne was having a poor season but he's been exemplary so far this season. 8 from 8 in the league and wins in all the cups gives him a dream start. Watching Manny Byrne is like watching symphony Orchestra in full flow. He's been break finishing and pulling out crazy pots and nobody can live with him in this form.Laurence McAlinden doesn't lack confidence and with good reason. He is pretty close to an unblemished record himself. What Larry lacks in skill and panache he makes up for in courage and timing. He knows when a finish is on and has the guts to go for it.Jack Courtney and Tristan Byrne have been sublime so far. Both great positional players that take out incredible finishes. Captain Declan McConville had a slow start to the season but has come good and is flying now.Stevie Noade had a really tough start to the season but has recovered to give McConville more selection options. Declan McMahon, Darren Devlin and Raymie McKenna are stuttering along and have yet to really hit the dizzy heights they're capable of.

Whitecross have surprised everyone in the Premier Division by spending the Christmas break 2nd in the league. in fact Whitecross have only won 2 less frames than TJ's in the league. Their only league defeat was to TJ's although they suffered 2 shock cup defeats to Orchard Bar then Windmill Bar who were both bottom at the time.The mercurial talents of new signing Martin O'Callaghan have turned Whitecross into a real force. He has been outstanding for the South Armagh side and they'll be hoping there's plenty more from him in the new year.Cathal Phelan is another cracking player having a superb season for Whitecross.Mickey O'Hanlon is having a terrific season. He seems to blow hot and cold but has more consistency this season. Another new signing Paddy O'Callaghan started out blitzing all before him but after a few defeats he's hit the skids. More needed from him in 2016.Shane Phelan, Michael Feenan, Brian O'Neill and captain Gavin Malone have played well in patches but need to improve if they are going to stay in touch with TJ's A. Gareth McCann, Joseph McTaggart and Alan Burke can be crucial for Whitecross if they start playing more.

Sheepbridge with their newly formed team aimed at challenging TJ's for the title have it all to do in the new year. They managed to take a point off TJ's early in the season but 4 draws have left them 4pts adrift.Paddy Tavey has been bowling over his opponents on a regular basis. He's having a brilliant season so far. Tavey has improved a lot lately and plays intelligent pool, careful not to leave his opponent a shot if he misses.Pat Brady is having an excellent season and luring him back to the Newry Pool League was a great coup for Sheepbridge. He's settled in nicely and only a couple of defeats to his name will make him vital in their push for the title. Niall McVerry is flying as well and deserves a big mention. He took a couple of games to get going but he's undroppable now. Barry Duffy is in fantastic form and is winning for fun lately.Harvey Lavelle will definitely improve his win ratio after a tricky start to the season for him. Seamus McGeoghegan, Dairmud Lonergan, Gyn Trainor and Bernie Magee have a lot more to offer after very poor season so far by their standards.Paddy Clarke and Conor O'Hare are both on the Sheepbridge books and if those 2 play a part in 2016 then they will certainly be in the running for trophies.

McGuigan's with 9 games played and on 10pts are playing for 2nd place now. 4 defeats along with their 5 wins have left them out of the running.Ciaran Hanna is the boy wonder carrying the fight for the Monaghan Street side. The young protege is coming of age and having a great season. Hanna likes to play attacking pool but like all the top players he can mix it up.Brendan Healey has come into good form thanks to a terrific November that gave him a huge boost after a tricky start to the season.Paul 'Bunty' O'Callaghan was a super signing and he's settled in well to give McGuigans a big lift. Paul McAreavey, Brian Campbell and Kieran Hanna have dissapointed. Captain Hanna must take a portion of the blame with some of his team selections.Gerard McGuigan is having a horrid season to date and whether he or the other lads can make a push for 2nd place remains to be seen. John Magee is having a complete 'mare'. If the rest of the lads get their act together and Paul 'Skippy' Morgan turns up then McGuigan's A could have a decent side.

Hustlers are joint 5th with Killeavy. The newly formed Hustlers have a very good squad of players but they just haven't gelled yet. 2 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats gives them 8 points.Cathal McCoy led the way in the hot shots for the hustlers - and now has hit a barren spell. He lost a few in November but can be very proud of his start. McCoy talks a good game and as we all know talking does'nt win any games.Shane McAllister is on a brilliant run after a slow start for this newly formed Bellinis team Tucker Hughes is doing well using his experience to get him through. Mickey Cunningham and Anthony Morgan can offer regular wins if they turn up in the new year.Billy O'Neill, Barry Murphy, John Lyttle and Ciaran O'Neill are the reasons Hustlers aren't contesting the title. Kevin Magee talks a good game but isn't backing it up. He's had a horrendous season. Damien Kearney is a mediocre player but goes missing after a defeat which isn't helping the team. But has helped Hustlers to a couple of wins.

Killeavy are having a fairly decent season considering they're usually in a relegation dogfight. They haven't missed talisman Stephen Teggart one wee bit.Darren O'Hanlon had an unbelievable run at the start to the season he was another who topped the hotshots. He went off the boil before the festive break and needs to get going again.Stephen Cunningham, Tom Magennis and Paddy McCann are all having sensational starts. These lads are in title winning form and their pool is incredible.Unfortunately for them they're on their own. Mark Shevlin is a very good player but he's dissapeared from the winners enclosure. Mickey Teggart, Pat Quinn, Stephen Murphy and Sean Og Duffy have done their best to make Killeavy relegation material.

Orchard Bar, CWC and Dan's C are all on 6pts and incredibly all have the exact same amount of frames won and lost as each other. 28 frames won and 36 lost is the record of all 3 teams.Orchard have won 1 match and drew 4 which is a poor return for a good team. They got off to a bad start but have since strengthened the squad and are improving.New signing Decky Campbell has been playing off the charts since his arrival. His attacking style has worked perfect so far but will need to learn the tactical side to improve further.Lee Irvine and lately Darren McCloskey have been playing super stuff and have plenty to be optimistic about.Brendan Devlin, David Cromie, Mervyn Kernaghan and Tony McGovern have played well in patches but need more consistency.Karl McGuinness is a very good player but he and Sean McCaul along with Niall Davis need to hit 2016 with a huge improvement or its going to be a long season.

CWC in 8th spot joint 7th have an identical record to Orchard Bar. 1 win and 4 draws from 8 games. CWC only won promotion last season and apart from re-signing Kieran McMahon the squad is pretty much the same. No team has threw away as many leads as this CWC side. Many occasions they've been 3-0 up to either lose or draw.It's no surprise that Kieran McMahon is their top marksman. McMahon executes his finishes with a surgeons precision.Martin McClelland and Pat Hughes have contributed on a regular basis and can be happy with their work so far. P.J Gilmore and Tommy Rooney have struggled for wins especially in the last few games.Seamus McKeown, Paul Kelland and Gerard Cregan need to get their acts together or they could face Div 1 opposition again next season.

Dan's C have managed 2 wins and 2 draws from their 8 games in their 1st season since winning Div1 in 2015.Although most Dan's players have struggled badly James O'Hagan has settled with ease. He is the individuals champion and he has a tremendous record this season so far. O'Hagan loves to go for his shots and attacking pool is all he knows.Jimmy McVerry settled superbly well too but the end of November knocked him out of his stride and was short on confidence before the Christmas holidays.Barry Boyle and Chris Smith have a handful of wins each which isn't great at all.Terry Phoenix, Mark McGuirk, Shane McMahon and Seamus Graham need to up their efforts or its bye bye Premier Division.

Carrickcruppen down in 10th place have 2 wins and a draw from 8 games but certainly have the players to get out of this relegation mess their in.We in the blog would like to wish Carrickcruppen player Martin McCone a full and speedy recovery after his recent illness. Martin is a very good player and has been sorely missed on and off the baize this season.On the table the experienced Martin McVeigh has been lethal this season to date. He has a good C.V. having played in title winning teams for both Corrinshego and TJ's A. He's one of the best potters in the game but when it turns tactical he comes into his own.Jamie Lavelle and Pat Byrne are both having fantastic seasons. Both great potters with Lavelle more of an all-rounder.It's badly down hill after that. Marty Lavelle, Stephen Lavelle, Aaron O'Callaghan and Ian McDonald have gave this team little to nothing so far and are the reason 'Cruppen' are 2nd from bottom.John Brannighan and Barry McAllister have gone on winning runs before the Christmas break so they might be important to Carrickcruppen's Premier Division survival hopes.

Windmill are bottom of the 11 teams in the Premier Division. They've had a strange season so far. They've taken points off TJ's A, Sheepbridge and beaten McGuigans who were flying at the time. Windmill also hammered Whitecross in the Divisional Cup.Aaron O'Callaghan is playing out of his skin for the bottom club. O'Callaghan topped the hotshots with Manny Byrne and Darren O'Hanlon and defeats are rare. He loves to play attacking pool and break finishes are always in his game.Tommy Broughton, Chris Marley, Conor McKeown and Ruairi Devlin have chipped in but no where near regularly enough.It's hard to see this team getting a solid run together but at the same time they are going to continue to take scalps along the way.Good luck to all the teams in 2016.

Don't forget we're back in action this Thursday 7th January Keep the info on the pool cards coming and don't forget to put full names on the pool card.All the results, league tables and scorecards are online!